


In the Life of (Android) Lil Bulb

by Mx Magic Fluffenmew (PerpetuallyDone)



Series: Android Lil Bulb [4]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 02:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21047135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerpetuallyDone/pseuds/Mx%20Magic%20Fluffenmew
Summary: A collection of blurbs for my Android Lil Bulb AU that I don't feel could stand on their own.





	1. Outings

Eventually Gyro does take Fenton’s advice and tries to do some more age appropriate activities with Bulb. He goes for the more traditional, perhaps even stereotypical ones because he has no idea what else to try. And Bulb goes right along with it all despite being just as confused as its father because this is what they’re _supposed_ to do, right?

The park is a bust. They don’t understand how moving back and forth, yet still being in place is considered fun, so they abandon the swings for a game of catch. It goes okay at first, and despite their appearances, the two of them actually each have quite an arm. 

The short game goes from okay to Not Good when a miss beans a poor unsuspecting child upside the head, and Gyro is quick to get him and Bulb out of there because he even though he doesn’t often deal with kids, he’s definitely had to deal with angry parents before. It’s bothersome, it’s tiring, and it’s not _his_ fault their child made poor decisions. Whether it was using a magnetic bag for a school bag, or standing too close to a game of catch, _that wasn’t on him_. So Gyro picks Bulb up like it weighs nothing and hauls butt out of the park. The little android can’t help but get a laugh out of the expression on his face.

Figuring that more physical activities might not be their style, they decide to go see a movie. Remembering their goal, they (hesitantly) decide on an animated flick that is oh so obviously directed towards youngsters with its plucky young hero, faithful and comedic sidekick, over-the-top villain, and a happy ending. They sit in the back, and the two spend most of the movie mocking it, pointing out all the inaccuracies, and overall poking holes.

In the end, the movie itself wasn’t entertaining, so Plan B is a flop too. Maybe they need something a bit more interactive than staring at a giant screen in a dark room, but not something that could maim someone. So naturally, they decide on the zoo.

It’s free to get in, and they’re free to wander from exhibit to exhibit. They pass on the shows and tour or two they spot, not wanting to essentially be lectured. It’s nice change from the mindlessness of Plan A, and the absurdity of Plan B. The penguins were a kick with their antics, and the aquarium was a pleasant calm with not so many people crowding the tunnels. Bulb is able to walk right up to the glass, nearly pressing its beak against the exhibit as it rattles off what it could remember about the different fish that passed by, including which went by their own windows at home. Gyro smiles and nods along with the occasional comment or correction. 

Things go well until they get a bit _too_ interactive by visiting the bird cage. Even with people standing on piers and bridges, these animals can _fly_. They could very much reach someone if they wanted, especially if they had a target. Gyro swears up and down he had no idea what happened to trigger the bird’s aggression. One minute he and Bulb are standing on one of the piers, and the next he’s picking up his child again, running even faster than he had at the park, trying to avoid be ruthlessly pecked at. Even before Gyro catches his breath once the cage is closed behind them, Bulb points out they could probably tell he still has popcorn in his pocket from the theater. 

By then it’s been a rather long day. The two of them call it quits and head back to the lab, and in turn home. Fenton is already there, eager to hear how things went.

“It was all one big failure.”

“Murphy’s Law was in full affect today.”

“But did you have fun?”

They pause and look at each other. Despite the snags, they did have to admit they had a good day. Lobbing balls and fleeing the scene of a crime, sharing critique in a movie, and getting a close look at the birds were all fun, but that wasn’t what they set out to do.

But Fenton assures them that’s perfectly fine. He wasn’t saying they needed to be some picture perfect, rated G parent/child duo. They just needed to spend some time together, doing something they both enjoyed every once in a while. Something that wasn’t lab work.

After that, Gyro and Bulb made critiquing movies at the $5 theater a weekly outing.


	2. Corrections

Gyro didn’t think much of it when Bulb first corrected him. He and everyone else called the little robot he and it interchangeably ever since creation. Now that the robot was an android, he supposed it made sense for Bulb to start speaking up about such things.

“Bulb and I are going to the cold storage. I’ll send him back with-”

“It.”

Though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, he was originally right along with Fenton’s thinking that Bulb would start being exclusively he now that it wasn’t a robot. But his child had a voice now, and it wasn’t hurting anyone, so who was he to act otherwise?

So he nodded, corrected himself, and moved on.

Fenton would later suggest Bulb was still adjusting, coming to terms with the huge changes that came with its upgrade. He would tell Gyro about Bulb’s moment in the lab. About when he suggested that it could do more than intern work and sitting in the lab, and instead go out and play a game or go to the park; it didn’t take it well. He would explain how Bulb grew silent, gripping its clipboard so tight it nearly snapped. How its eyes grew wide yet unfocused. How it didn’t even notice he joined it on the floor until he tried to comfortingly touch it’s shoulder, and Bulb nearly burst out of its feathers.

He would ask Gyro if it was possible for Bulb to cry.

Gyro would tell him he wasn’t sure. Lil Bulb never ceases to amaze him.

But they took Fenton’s advice. After trial and error, the father and child started to find what worked for them. Little steps that the two grew accustomed to, but it made them even happier, just as Bulb suggested to Fenton they could be.

Weekly $5 movies became tradition where they would spend most of the time poking holes and being critical. Despite not needing to, Bulb would eat dinner with Gyro, whenever dinner was, even if only stealing a few bites from his plate. One day Fenton came into work to find Bulb with a brand new outfit, black slacks and a yellow button down, pink bow tie still there. Soon after that, he learned Bulb had its own little wardrobe now. The next time he stopped by the in-lab apartment, the couch Bulb used to charge on was since replaced with a second bed.

Bulb still had moments of uncertainty, sometimes getting lost inside its head. But whenever it would snap at them, or run off, or need a hug, or sometimes all three, Gyro and Fenton would be right there, assuring the little android it didn’t have to do anything it didn’t want to. Everything would be okay.

Gyro didn’t seem to think much of it when Bulb corrected him the second time.

“Bulb and I are going to to cold storage. I’ll send it back with-”

“He.”

He nodded, corrected himself, and moved on. On the inside, however, he was smiling. Maybe Fenton was right all along. Maybe Bulb just needed help finding out who he was. A guiding hand and a parent’s love, Fenton once put it. However they phrased it, Gyro was simply happy Bulb was becoming his own person, and willing to tell him who that person was.

Gyro very much made certain to later thank Fenton for his part, even if finding the right words was rather difficult. No matter how much the duck originally intended to be involved, he helped the two of them immensely. And even if finding those words were a bit of a struggle for Gyro, Fenton completely understood his meaning, and that was plenty enough for him.


End file.
